Postgame Quotes

Opening comment:
"We had a very good win over a ball club that played awfully hard. Looking at tapes going in I thought West Virginia has been playing really hard. They compete like crazy. Our guys respected that. I thought we opened the ball game very well. Again, the guys have done a really good job of focusing on getting each other ready to play. They have been very consistent in that effort. Again, on the floor these two guys [Romero Osby and Steven Pledger] led the way tonight and continue to play well and make shots and make the extra pass and are doing a good job. We just have to keep getting better and one more for the regular season. We have a big challenge on Saturday."

On the program having 20 wins this season:
"I am happy for the players and the seniors especially. They have been here a while and have hung in there. They have worked and really invested a lot and represented well and all are going to graduate so that's great. So I am really happy for them. We have talked about a 20 win season and we have got to keep working and see if we can go on into the post season. That is a good way to go out. Again, I am really happy for them as much as everyone else but especially the seniors."

On Buddy Hield being back:
"I thought he did ok when he was in there. He didn't have any problems at all when he came out. He said he felt good. Then going into halftime cool-down if we didn't need to put him back in there for rotations then we probably decided at halftime to not do that. Again, he is full speed. I thought he did fine and will do even better on Saturday."

On the team exceeding expectations:
"It's hard to say. I think people thrive at the level they are in. I don't know if it is about exceeding but if we go back through the year there were several times we had trouble scoring. So you think about that and compare that to what they have done in the last three or four weeks, I don't know if this was anticipated maybe looking at things a month ago. Credit to them, like Steve [Pledger] said all of our guys are getting up extra shots and working hard moving the ball. They don't care about who gets shots in ball games. Different guys have stepped up at different times. I think it's a credit to their approach and unselfishness and their willingness to promote whatever is good for the team."

Senior F Romero Osby

On his performance in his last home game:
"It meant a lot. It is bittersweet because it is the last game here but at least we got a win. We all appreciate all the support. It has been a long time coming and we are happy we got a win at least in our last home game."

On his thoughts of the NCAA tournament or postseason play:
"As a fan of the game, you are always looking and trying to find what is going on and everything like that, but as a player, you've just got to stay focused on the next game. We are excited that we might have an opportunity to get there but we know that our work isn't done. We still have to play this last game of the season and we still have to play in the Big 12 tournament and focus on a championship in that. We will focus on the NCAA tournament when it comes, if we're fortunate enough to make it."

On having Buddy [Hield] back:
"It was great. He is a special kid and works so hard that you hate to see him get hurt, but like I said, he is special. He bounced back in three weeks. I kind of expected him not to play a whole lot tonight because we just want to get him back in the groove of things but it was great having him back. He brought the same intensity and energy as he always does."

Senior G Steven Pledger

On his performance in his last home game:
"It meant a lot. I have been here all four years through the ups and down and tonight definitely meant a lot."

On the execution of the offense when West Virginia came within 4 points:
"We just buckled down. I was telling the guys on the court we need to turn it up and spread this thing out. We made stops, tough buckets and got on the boards, and were able to get a lead."

On being one step closer to the tournament:
"I really didn't think about it all that much or talk about it. I just wanted to get the next task done. It is great to be one step closer to the big dance."

Head Coach Bob Huggins

On the loss:
"We cut it to four and had the ball and threw it to them, which has kind of been an ongoing thing. Why we threw it across court in transition, I do not know why that happens. We came in and said we have to keep them off the foul line. Obviously they shoot free throws very well, and they made 27 free throws. We said we cannot let them get second shots. They beat us in Orlando, when their guards killed our guards on the glass. They beat us in Morgantown because their bigs beat our bigs on the glass, and they beat us here. I do not know, maybe we just cannot rebound, but when you spend 35 minutes saying 'do not let them drive right, do not let their bigs go right,' and they went right every single time. That is what baffles me."

On West Virginia's defensive performance this year:
"We get back in the game and we are playing okay, then somebody just always stops playing. I have never had a group where the ball is bouncing and nobody goes after it. We got someone who is our best rebounder running the other way, and they get it and somebody fouls them.. What should be a great opportunity for us obviously is not. It is not like we do not work on it. It is like ground hog day. Every day is the same. Every game we throw it to the other team. Every day we work on it. Then we kind of think, okay now we have got the idea. We spend every day saying that you have to take something away, and then we are not able to take anything away."

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